“Blasphemy depends upon belief and is fading with it. If any one doubts this, let him sit down seriously and try to think blasphemous thoughts about Thor. I think his family will find him at the end of the day in a state of some exhaustion.” -G.K. Chesterton, Heretics

The end of 2009 found me finishing up cards for Upper Deck’s Iron Man 2 set. From there I dove headfirst into Rittenhouse’s Marvel 70th Anniversary cards. Those, as well as a Voltron set, are due at the end of the month. I also owe people commissions.

Christmas and the New Year really took more out of me than I thought. I’m struggling to get back into the routine. The freezing weather here (we’re about 20 degrees below normal here in NC) seems to be making it harder to be zealous in my work. Or maybe it’s the shorter days. Either way, my mind is wondering.

I had a great weekend in Richmond at the VA Comicon. Brett and Liz put on a fantastic show which has become one of my favorite of the year. This was the first time they tried a two day show and it was definitely a success. I did a few commissions, got to have dinner with Larry Hama and Michael Golden and listen to their stories of working in comics back in the 70s and 80s, ate some great food in ridiculous quantities, and laughed…a lot.

I also pulled something in my neck while bowling but I’m telling everyone I got hurt fighting homeless ninjas while rescuing dolphins from Japanese fisheries.

I contributed a little to the badges that we did for the show. Pencils were done by Robert Atkins, Inks by Rick Ketcham, and colors by me.

I found myself engulfed in the great Sea of Nerd a couple weekends ago when I went to see Star Wars in concert. I was but a piece of flotsam tossed along catching glimpses of authentic movie props such as Han frozen in carbonite, C-3PO (who come to think of it, I have never seen at a convention) and Royal Imperial Guards.

Is it a coincidence that just a month earlier I did this Tusken Raider commission?